Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 641 has been found?
Mr. Gu was truly surprised to learn that these days, not only dogs, but even cats can become police officers.

But when he kindly tossed the fish tail to the cat, only to find that the cat showed no interest in it and even looked disgusted, he immediately looked down on Lin Ge.

Why feed a cat that won't eat fish bones?
With this attitude, Boss Gu looked down on Lin Ge, who was enjoying Li Siyu's care.

Lin Ge ignored him.

Of course he wouldn't eat a fish tail! It's just a bunch of bones, with no meat or flavorful skin. Only a fool would eat that!
He's not one of those homeless, starving stray cats, so why would he bother eating the leftovers of humans?

However, to be fair, Mr. Gu's daughter is quite a good cook. Henan cuisine is one of the eight major cuisines in China, and Gu Yue's braised fish was particularly delicious, with a rich and flavorful broth. Dipping steamed buns in the broth and eating them together was a rare treat. Lin Ge, who never liked vegetarian food, ate his fill of steamed buns with the broth this time. It was just a pity that Chen Song's dog couldn't eat outside food and wagged its tail pitifully beside him.

The meal was eaten quickly. After Mr. Gu finished eating, he led everyone to drink tea and chat, while leisurely reminiscing about how the silver coin was used to make a bracelet.

This old guy has a really good memory; he quickly remembered some things.

"If I remember correctly, this bracelet is more than ten years old."

As he pondered, Boss Gu slowly explained, "Back then, my shop was located under the North Gate intersection, a small shop not far from the bridge. Many people came to have silver ornaments made, but they usually bought small trinkets or cheap miscellaneous silver. Things like the Yuan Shikai silver dollar, which could easily sell for over a thousand yuan in any shop, were generally not something people would use to make bracelets. After all, without its status as a silver coin, its price as pure silver would definitely drop significantly. So, if you ask me if I remember, I definitely do. Someone willing to spend a silver dollar to make a silver bracelet was either rich or had status; in any case, they weren't an ordinary person."

"So, according to you... the person who asked you to make the bracelet back then came from a well-off family?"

Zhang Yong spoke cautiously.

Boss Gu thought for a moment, then shook his head, unsure, and said, "It's hard to say! After all, our Southern Province is a place with a long history. Finding a silver coin on the ground or digging up a silver envelope in the dirt is a common occurrence. If you ask me to recall whether that person was well-dressed or what their status was, I have no recollection whatsoever. If I say something wrong and mislead you, it would be troublesome, right? The only thing I remember now is that the woman was quite old, probably over fifty! Hmm... I remember joking with her about who she was going to give the bracelet to, and she told me it was for her daughter. At the time, I just thought it was because her daughter had given birth to a granddaughter, but now it seems..."

As Mr. Gu spoke, he glanced at Ai Yun with a slight roll of his eyes.

If this woman was indeed abducted ten years ago, then she shouldn't have had children. In other words, the bracelet was a gift to her, and then the police followed the clues ten years later to the place where the bracelet was made.

"You were in your fifties back then, so wouldn't you be over sixty now?"

Zhang Yong pondered for a moment, then frowned slightly and said, "Although it may be hard to say, at this age, having suffered the blow of her daughter being abducted, there's a possibility she might die young. Hmm... Mr. Gu, tell me more about what you know, especially the details and things you might have noticed unintentionally. For example, did that woman come alone? What kind of bag did she use to carry the silver coins, and what happened when she retrieved the bracelet?"

"Well……"

Mr. Gu stroked his chin, thinking seriously. When he couldn't come up with an answer, he picked up a fish bone and slowly sucked on it.

The others didn't urge him, patiently waiting for Boss Gu to start smacking his lips. Watching him make those smacking noises only amused them, and even the urgency they felt about to feel relieved lessened considerably.

"I remembered!"

Suddenly, Boss Gu slapped his thigh, his eyes widened, and he spat out a fishbone. Then he excitedly said, "I remember back then, she was holding a book! It looked like... it looked like a textbook, with little dolls drawn on it! That's right, a textbook! Her hands were so smooth, like her fingerprints had been worn away! That must have been from prolonged contact with chalk dust, right? She... she... ugh... she was wearing a pretty top, but her shoes were just ordinary flat cloth shoes!"

"You wear flat cloth shoes because you have to stand for long periods during class, so you have to wear something comfortable?"

Li Siyu immediately understood what Boss Gu was trying to say.

Zhang Yong nodded and stood up.

"Although none of this is concrete evidence, there's really no need to make things difficult for Boss Gu. It's already quite remarkable that he can remember so much. Now, considering everything, there is indeed a possibility that she is a teacher. But it's only a possibility; we can't be sure if she is the person we're looking for. Moreover, with so many schools in Zhuzhou, the number of teachers must be enormous. Taking into account the situation ten years ago, with those who were transferred, left, or retired, the workload to investigate is considerable."

"But at least it's a fairly definite direction, so we won't be like headless flies, completely lost. And considering the age range, there aren't actually that many targets, so even if we filter them one by one, it won't take too much time."

Zhang Ke chuckled.

Li Yiduo simply took out his laptop from his bag and started searching the official website of the Zhuzhou Municipal Education Bureau on the spot.

However, to his dismay, the official website of the Zhuzhou Municipal Education Bureau was very rudimentary, resembling a very primitive and unusable website template from the early days of the internet twenty years ago, and contained very little information.

"We still need to ask the Education Bureau."

He sighed with a wry smile.

"Let us lend a hand! You go to the Education Bureau, and we'll visit each school one by one to make sure we don't miss anything. Once you have more results, we'll call each other and meet up?"

Chen Song didn't intend to just stand by and watch; even just for Mimi and Sun Chang's sake, he decided to lend a hand.

After telling the brothers in the police dog squad about it, they all agreed. It's lunch break now, so it wouldn't hurt to go out and do some side work. We should help out however we can, and we can't let Mimi not get a good welcome this time.

Lin Ge glanced at Chen Song with satisfaction, realizing that his own brother was indeed the most sensible.

The police officers I encountered on this trip to the southern province were all quite nice. The best attitude undoubtedly came from the police dog teams and handlers in both locations. Of course, the other officers were also very dedicated; no one coldly refused to help when needed. Although some of their bureaucratic attitudes were a little uncomfortable, despite the long and busy schedule, I didn't encounter any obstacles that prevented the process from proceeding.

Both parties noted down each other's contact information, thanked Mr. Gu and his wife Gu Jijin, and then hurriedly parted ways.

When Lin Ge and his entourage arrived at the Education Bureau, it was not yet time for work. After inquiring with the security guard at the gate, they learned that none of the leading cadres were there; some were out in a meeting, and the rest would not arrive until 2:30 p.m.

Zhang Yong found a cadre's phone number on the wall on the first floor and called. The other party was quite polite. Although he couldn't get back to the bureau immediately, he managed to get a staff member to come and help.

This young woman, who appeared to be a new employee, was working her shift alone in the office, looking utterly lost and bewildered after being called out by her supervisor and hearing Zhang Yong's instructions. She seemed completely clueless about what to do.

She gestured for the others to wait a moment while she jogged to a corner to call her senior.

He seemed to have been scolded on the phone, and after a while he came running over looking miserable, leading the group to the archives.

When she saw Lin Ge also walking inside with an air of nonchalance, she once again showed a helpless expression.

“Officer… most of the documents here are paper documents. Would you mind letting your cat wait outside? What if it mischievously damages something or loses the documents? My little body can’t handle that!” “Mimi?”

Zhang Yong didn't intend to explain to this person how obedient the police cat was; he simply turned to Lin Ge and asked for his opinion.

Lin Ge wasn't really in the mood to rummage through the books, so he stopped at the doorway when he heard this. He thought it best to keep Ai Yun out too, preventing her from getting in and causing trouble, and took a comb from Li Siyu's purse so she could groom him.

The two of them, a person and a cat, found a spot in the lobby and sat down, lazily passing the drowsy time on this hot midday.

At this point, Lin Ge believed that there were basically no more problems. All the clues had been followed step by step, so there shouldn't be any oversights. The biggest problem now was Ai Yun's situation. How would she react after seeing her family again? What might happen? Would she stay in Zhuzhou or return to Zhangzhou? Would Luo Jue also transfer schools with her? These were the questions that needed to be considered now.

Lin Ge was somewhat reluctant to see his only human subordinate leave. Although he had countless subordinates, including cats and dogs, Luo Jue, as the only one who actively called him "Big Brother," still held a special place in Lin Ge's heart.

Although considering his future, it would be best for him to go back to live with his family. However, Lin Ge was also worried about the mental health of the mother and son, wondering if the comfort from their family would help them stay calm.

Otherwise, given Luo Jue's tendency to resort to murder to solve problems, the next time we see him, he might be in a juvenile detention center.

The same goes for Ai Yun; although her condition is under control, it hasn't actually been cured. Lin Ge doesn't know if there's any possibility of a cure for her illness, nor does he know if her appearance will lead to her family, especially relatives, disliking her.

To be honest, some things are simple to say, but in reality, all sorts of complex problems arise in the process of getting along. Just like the man named Gu Jijin who gave up his search for his family without hesitation, he didn't want to be looked at with special eyes.

"If Ai Yun and Luo Jue were to learn from Gu Jijin and return to Zhangshi even after reuniting with their families, it might be a good thing for both sides. They could find their relatives again without having their current lives affected."

Lin Ge looked up and glanced at Ai Yun.

"Mimi?"

Ai Yun kept brushing Lin Ge's fur in a silly manner, doing it very seriously, and didn't feel that there was anything wrong with it.

When Lin Ge turned to look at her, she paused in her work, staring at Lin Ge and glancing around before realizing that the cat was looking at her.

"Zhang Yong said that there are no reports of human trafficking in the Zhuzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau's files that meet Ai Yun's criteria, and he hopes that there is no despicable reason behind this."

Lin Ge stopped looking at Ai Yun and lay back down on her lap, staring in the direction of the archives.

The room was filled with a noisy, chaotic atmosphere, and flipping through a large number of paper files was a rather tedious and energy-consuming task. Fortunately, apart from Zhang Yong, the other four people inside happened to be two couples; teamwork makes the dream work, and from Sun Chang's laughter, it was clear that she was enjoying herself. In fact, this entire journey to help Ai Yun find her family was also a rare opportunity for her to go on a trip and have a date.

About ten minutes later, Li Siyu suddenly exclaimed from inside.

However, she quickly suppressed her voice and handed the information she had found to Zhang Yong, adding it to the list of targets for their upcoming home visits.

Five people plus one staff member spent the entire noon on the task, and finally managed to compile a list of a dozen or so elderly teachers who roughly fit the criteria, just as the staff from the Education Bureau's archives came to work.

The person in charge of the archives, whose room was in complete disarray, immediately let out a muffled groan, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Zhang Yong chuckled dryly, apologized, and led Lin Ge and Ai Yun away from the Education Bureau after taking and storing the photos.

The team didn't immediately search for the person in the file, as many of the contact addresses and phone numbers could become invalid or outdated over time. This is a common situation encountered by the police during investigations, such as discrepancies between the address on the ID card and the actual residence, or repeated changes to phone numbers, making it impossible to find the person when needed. Therefore, the team first returned to the municipal police station building and used the police mobile terminal there to update the target's contact information.

Just as people leave their mark on the earth, and geese leave their calls in flight, the police, through big data networks, can easily pinpoint a person's actual address and current contact information—a feat far more advanced than a decade ago. Back then, even simply asking someone a few questions could require countless trips to locate them. Now… no matter where someone hides, they can remain invisible to the police. In a few years, once the practice of using other people's identities to open phone accounts, bank accounts, buy or rent houses is completely eradicated, so-called online fugitives will become a joke in the eyes of the police.

Next, Zhang Yong divided everyone into three groups: himself and Lin Ge in one group, Zhang Ke and Sun Chang in another, and Li Yiduo and Li Siyu in yet another. They divided the tallied targets into three groups, made phone calls to each group, and prepared to make face-to-face contact.

The Education Bureau had a total of seventeen potential targets. However, after the Municipal Bureau investigated their family circumstances, four more people were ruled out.

That means there are still thirteen targets remaining. Six of them could not be reached by phone, and five others denied ever having lost a child. Two others were vague in their responses, seemingly due to their advanced age, and require in-person questioning.

"Mimi, take good care of Aiyun, and make sure she stays with me and doesn't get lost!"

Zhang Yong assigned the ten least suspicious targets to Zhang Ke's group and Li Yiduo's group, while he himself, along with Lin Ge and Ai Yun, went to find the three families with the most unusual circumstances.

The police car with Zhangzhou license plates had some difficulty moving around in Zhuzhou, so Zhang Yong borrowed a local police car from the Zhuzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau. When he borrowed it, he was jokingly scolded, asking if he was eyeing their newly bought car again. Zhang Yong just smiled and said nothing.

Soon, the police car arrived at an old residential area near Zhushi Experimental Primary School.

This was the original site of Zhushi Experimental Primary School. However, due to development, the school's area became insufficient, so it was moved to a nearby location. The original site was then used as Zhushi Senior University and Senior Citizens Activity Center.

After the police car entered the residential area, Lin Ge noticed that the people sitting in the shade of the trees, playing cards, and walking by in the sun were all very elderly.

The neighborhood looked very quiet, not very large, and the houses were low and old, giving it a lifeless feel. The police car followed the address to the foot of a five-story red brick building. After getting out of the car, they looked up and saw that their target lived on the third floor, on the west side.

To Lin Ge's surprise, the building seemed abandoned; the balconies of each apartment were completely empty. At least the target's balcony had some clutter, but the neighboring apartments and the apartments above and below had been emptied out, leaving the entire building feeling utterly deserted. This was understandable, given that these were old houses from forty or fifty years ago, small and in poor condition, making them inconvenient to live in.

"If Ai Yun's parents really live here, doesn't that mean their family isn't well-off? Do they have the means to help Ai Yun with her medical treatment? And where will Ai Yun stay if she comes back?"

Lin Ge didn't know whether to be happy or worried, and silently followed Zhang Yong upstairs.

Halfway there, realizing Ai Yun hadn't followed, she turned back and saw the woman's hesitant expression. Even though she had previously naively treated this as a fun game, the moment had come, and she couldn't help but panic.

But now that we've come this far, what's the point of hesitating any longer?
Lin Ge called out to Ai Yun, and the woman obediently and slowly climbed up.

At this moment, Zhang Yong had arrived at the target's door. He glanced back at Lin Ge and Ai Yun, and calmly knocked on the door.

I just finished typing at 11:58 AM. I didn't check for typos very carefully. Please leave a comment if you find any.
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(End of this chapter)